A proximity detector may be used to measure a distance to a given target. The measured distance, in turn, may be used for a number of different purposes such as industrial automation, consumer electronics, security panels, etc. A typical optical proximity detector includes an emitter, such as a light emitting diode (LED), which emits an optical signal that reflects from the target to produce a corresponding reflected optical signal. The reflected optical signal, in turn, is detected by the proximity detector's receiver, such as a photodiode. In general, when the target is relatively large, as compared to the desired detection distance, the amount of light reflected from the target is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the proximity detector and the target.